Emptiness
by Mike The FF Reader
Summary: Kyousuke Kousaka is a 17 year old highschooler, who has been living his dream of having a normal life. But, he can't help but have a needing for something... or someone. This is a "What If" type of story, as in, what if Kirino wasn't Kyousuke's sister?
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

My name is Kousaka Kyousuke; I am 17 years old. For the longest time, I have felt that something was missing from my life. But I still don't understand why I have this feeling of emptiness. My goal in the first place was to lead a normal life, and I've achieved that. I have a mother and father, I go to school… What's more plain and simple than that? This issue has been really bothersome, and it shows, too. My childhood friend, Tamura Manami, has been constantly worried about me. Saying things like "Kyo-chan, why the long face?" and when I tell her I'm not her problem, she says "It's my job to worry about you!" Typical Manami, I don't know why she's so kind and gentle to people… My parents are also real worried, though my father won't show it, because his pride won't allow it, my mother told me for him. They're saying I should go see a counselor, or get medication. It hasn't become that lamentable, has it? Besides, I find it less stressful to deal with these complications alone. On a higher note, school starts up again tomorrow. Why is this good? Well, I'm thinking that if I'm able to occupy myself with work, it will help me take my find off of this, presumably, fabricated feeling. I just hope my plan isn't improbable; it's the only thing I can think of, to fix myself. Oh well, I'm pretty sure if I let my thoughts dwell and race like this, I may find myself up at an unfavorable hour.

I just have to hope for the best

Maybe the best…

Someone.


	2. Chapter 2: Dream

I was standing across from a glowing silhouette; I can't remember what it looked like. But, the emotions I felt were so, surreal. I felt no stress, no worry, and no sadness. For the first time in a long time, I felt… Complete. All I could focus on was this heavenly figure standing before me, as I approached it. I then formed a gentle embrace around the figure, saying "Don't worry; I'm here for you now, I'll put an end to your pain." The short illuminating shadow then responded by tightening the embrace we shared, burying it's face into my shoulder, as I did the same into its hair. All of a sudden, we fell, springing me up from my bed. I looked around frantically, looking for the figure.

Then my** heart** fell, as I realized

It was just a _dream._

"Dammit." I muttered under breath, restlessly. I looked over at the clock. It was 3 in the morning.

I then looked down at my lap, helplessly, trying to come up with an explanation for such an occurrence. The feeling returned. The feeling I know all too well… _Emptiness._

"If I stay awake to try and figure this out, I'll be up until sunrise." I thought, "I can put more effort into an explanation… later today" And at that, I decided to lie down, again…

And drift back into slumber.


	3. Chapter 3: School (part 1)

**Ok, there have been some concerns about story development and length of chapters; the first 2 chapters were just for introduction, and were meant to be shortened. The chapters from here on out will be waaayyy more lengthy, and developed, because this is the actual beginning of the story ^_^.**

**Don't be discouraged by the beginning of this chapter, This was just added for development, just as the intro was. **

**A special thanks to my followers: **

**F1ashPo1nt**

**KatzeNoel**

**And, Swordbane. **

**You guys are awesome, and I hope you, along with the rest of my wonderful audience, enjoy this chapter. Thank You**

**-Mike**

I woke up that morning at 7:00, feeling drained and extremely depressed. It took me about ten minutes to completely wake up and get ready. As I was heading down the stairs, I got a call from a certain childhood friend.

"Hey Manami" I greeted.

"Good morning, Kyo-chan!" She greeted back like a morning rooster.

"Why are you always so loud?" I asked, with a sense of irritation and grogginess in my voice.

"Sorry, I'm just really excited to walk with Kyo-chan on the first day back to school!" She explained in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it, where are we meeting up?" I asked, in a calm demeanor, trying to soften the blow from my previous words.

"The park, five minutes!" She directed.

"Alright, see you in a few" I said as I hung up my phone and headed out the front door.

**(3 minutes later, at the park)**

I thought I could end up getting there before her, but there she was.

"HI, KYO-CHAN~!" She yelled, as I approached her.

"Yo." I said flatly.

She then began to stare at me, gently, looking me up and down. This got me nerved, so I decided to ask what the evaluation was about.

"What's with the examination, you didn't call me out just to look at me, did you?" I inquired.

She then stopped her scanning, and slowly looked up at me.

"It's gotten worse, hasn't it Kyo-chan?" she asked, with an upset tone of voice and expression.

I didn't want worry or concern my childhood friend any further, so I simply feigned ignorance.

"What has gotten worse? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about…" I fabricated.

She then looked down, and spoke in a quieter tone of voice.

"People can't help you, unless you talk to them, Kyo-chan." She said, looking more worried than before.

"Manami, I'm ok, really. Have I ever lied to you?" I asked, reassuringly

"No, but-"

"There are no exceptions, Manami … I'm. Ok."

She then stood there for a few moments, comprehending my unknowingly fabricated statement, and then shot her head back up at me.

"Great!" she cooed, looking quite ecstatic.

Even though I'm in a shitty mood, I can't just pour it out onto other people, especially as one as sensitive as Manami. When I originally told Manami about my… dilemma, she didn't handle it quite well. She ended up worrying about me more than herself, and that extra weight can end up bringing anyone down.

Manami can be pretty intriguing sometimes...

**(20 minutes later, the school gates)**

As we headed through the school gates, I said goodbye and parted ways with my childhood friend. There was 7 minutes till I had to head inside the school, so I decided to sit down on a nearby bench and try to elaborate what had happened from the dream to this morning. I started with the former, "Why did it happen?" and "What did it mean?" Were the two main questions I just couldn't answer. And Manami? Why does she care so much about me? I mean sure, we've known each other ever since we were 6, but surely she has more important matters to attend to, right? I can't be the only one she's worried about nowadays, so why does she waste her time trying to help me, when there is obviously no progress happening?

After sitting down for what felt like 2 hours instead of _minutes_, I attempted to go inside the school when suddenly...

A woman came out the doors, just as I was trying to head in. We clashed and both landed on our rear ends. I was dazed as I looked up to see a blurry figure, lying down.

"H-HEY? ARE YOU OK!?" I panicked as I rushed over to her and helped her up.

"I-I'm fi-"Her words trailed off as our eyes met.

In front of me stood the most beautiful, heavenly woman I had ever seen. She was short, had cobalt blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair complete with a pink hair piece to hold back her bangs, pink glossy lips and a rounded, but slim face.

We both stood like that for what felt like hours, like we were hypnotized, staring into each other's eyes, not caring to pay attention to what was happening around us. Everything. Just. Froze.

It was then we broke out of the trance we were put under. She started blushing, madly, as I felt a rush of heat creep onto my face as well. She then threw my hands out of her grip and cocked her head to the side, looking extremely bashful.

"WH-WHY WERE YOU STARING AT ME, HENTAI!?" She exclaimed, while looking down, red as a tomato.

"Go-Gomenasai, I was just trying to help, you were staring at me too, you know." I said in a shy, medium toned voice.

I didn't take what she said offensively. Why? Because her body language was telling me the exact opposite of her words. It seemed important to get to know this girl, I had no idea why, so don't ask.

I don't know where I got the courage from, but I asked for her name.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked, a bit hesitant

"K-Kirino S-S-Suzumiya **(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I just did that.) **... Y-Yours?" She asked stuttering, looking up, bashfully and tender. I guess this was a hidden apology?

"K-Kyousuke Kousaka." I said, pretty much the same way she did.

There a moderately long period of silence before the next question from her arose.

"How old are you?" Now, this was an odd question...

"Seventeen... You?" I said, feeling more comfortable.

"Sixteen." She replied, sounding more confident than before.

Very little silence took place, before the next question.

"Do we have any classes together?" she asked, just before the bell rang.

"Well, we'll have to see, won't we?" I said, as we both walked into the school and down the hall.

For the first time, in a long time, I felt genuinely happy, walking with Suzumiya-kun. No worries, no stress, nothing of the sort.

...

I felt like I would get know Suzumiya-kun, really, really well.

**I hope you guys liked it ^_^, constructive criticism and feedback is great, if you're willing to give it!**


	4. Chapter 4: School (part 2)

**Before I begin this chapter, I would like to thank Eliya Shirwood, the author of The Sibling Complication, for giving me insight and helpful guidance to my writing skills. You're a great author Eliya, thank you!**

As I was walking down the, seemingly, overly crowded halls of North High, I noticed some students whispering to each other while glancing at me and Suzumiya-kun.I simply ignored this, as it was nothing to mention at the moment. That's when Suzumiya-kun turned to me.

"I have to go to my locker to get ready for first hour, so see ya later, Kou...Kousaka-san, was it?" She asked, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice

"Yes, it was, I hope to see you in an hour or two, Suzumiya-kun."

She then glared at me, made a 180, and then walked to her locker down the west hall. I chuckled to myself as I walked down the opposite hall to first hour...

**(7:50 am, North High, 1****st**** floor, east hall, room 501)**

I walked into the room, with an already open door, labeled "1st hour" on my schedule. Everyone in the room was already sitting down, so I decided to take a seat as well.

The room was fairly large, could probably fit about 30 to 40 desks if it had to, had a window to the right of the teacher's desk in the front of the room and one by a desk near the back of the room. A man was sitting in the teacher's desk, presumably the teacher, using his laptop. Behind him, mounted up on the wall was possibly the most ginormous dry erase board ever invented.

"Talk about who the giant called, Jesus Christ, what kind of subject does this guy lecture!?" I thought bewildered.

A name was written on the board, Mr. Ariki. If this isn't the teacher's name, I had no idea what the hell it really was.

I then derived my attention from the dry erase board, to the clock in the back of the room. It was 7:54, the bell for first hour was about to ring, when I heard pattering footsteps out in the hall, gradually getting closer, until I saw a certain someone pop in the door way.

That someone was Kirino Suzumiya.

"I have 1st hour with Suzumiya-kun?" I thought, a bit surprised. Why you ask? I don't know...

She was panting heavily, looking around the room for the reactions of her colleagues. She then saw me, blushed lightly, as I felt the heating sensation making its way onto my face as well, and cocked her head to the side, yet again putting on that disgusted look of hers... wait, how do I know her reactions?

"Ms. Suzumiya, you have about forty-five seconds until the bell rings, if you don't take a seat I will have to count you tardy, and I sure don't want that." He said to Suzumiya-kun in a kind tone.

She then nodded and took a seat near the front of the room, giving me a chance to calm down. It was as I was trying to do so; I felt a nudge on my shoulder to the left.

"Oi, Kyousuke." That voice...

I then turned to my left to see a great friend of mine, who I was oblivious of until he caught my attention...

It was Akagi Kōhei.

"Wha-what the hell are doing, how long have you been there!?" I exclaimed quietly.

"Ever since you walked in."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier!?" another quiet exclamation.

"I honestly didn't notice you either, until I turned my head towards the doorway to see Suzumiya and you, ogling her."

His face then turned from a normal, vague expression to a lewd, perverted one.

"Ha-ha, just what are doing with Suzumiya~?" His voice rung of that "you naughty boy" tone.

"WHA! - AH-!" An incomplete exclamation, as the bell chimed, signaling for 1st hour to begin.

The man at the front then stood up and walked around his desk to the front of it. The man was average height, was a little big around the abdomen area, had brown hair with a bit of curved bangs and a pair of reading glasses with green eyes behind them. He wore a black casual businessman type of jacket with stoned washed jeans and a pair of brown, leather shortcut boots to finish it off.

He spoke out in a casual, somewhat deep octave as he introduced himself.

"Good morning students, my name is Mr. Ariki, just in case you weren't observant enough to notice the name on the chalk board, or if you were just too stupid to look at it in the first place. Same difference, right?"

The class then chuckled a bit at his slick joke, except Suzumiya-kun and I

"To start off on a high note here, I will ask each of you one by one to stand up and tell me about yourselves, if you don't wish to do so, that's ok, I won't pry."

"That's the first time I've heard of a teacher giving you an option, when it comes to an introduction..." I thought

You may be asking why I didn't laugh at Mr. Ariki's joke earlier. Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is pretty lax and chill so far. It's just that my well of humor and happiness is dried up to the crack. As for Suzumiya-kun, I can only guess as to why she didn't find it funny...

The introductions then took place as I declined mine when it came; getting me a glare from Suzumiya-kun along with a click from her tongue.

"What's up with her?" I thought quietly aloud.

"What's that, Kousaka?" Akagi asked.

I then turned to him.

"What's what? If you're going to make a perverted remark about something, I'm ignoring you." I said coldly

"Well, damn." He said sarcastically

A few moments of silence between me and Akagi, as I noticed the introductions were over and Suzumiya-kun skipped hers as well as I did. She seemed so... depressed, just as I was.

Akagi must've seen me looking at Suzumiya-kun and started up a conversation again.

"So, I heard you and Suzumiya were dating" he said, as that purvey face of his appeared again.

"So that's what the whispers and glances in the hall were about, how in the hell do rumors spread that fast?" I thought

"We're not dating; I just met her this morning."

"That's a little too soon to be hitting it off~, don't you think~?" He said, that ring in his voice apparent once again

"Jesus, Akagi didn't you hear me? I just met her this morning." I said colder than before

I must've been loud, because Suzumiya-kun was looking back at me, with a small glimmer of gentleness and... Understanding? She then looked back to the front of the room quickly, but not before giving me _that_ glare of hers.

I then turned to Akagi, giving **HIM **a glare saying "I'll kill you". He started laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

That's when the bell rang.

"Dismissed." Mr. Ariki said, I stood up and headed out the door, holding it open for Suzumiya-kun. I noticed her face while doing so, full of Melancholy, just like mine

... Maybe I should talk to her during lunch.

**Thank you guys for waiting a bit. Comment, give feedback or constructive criticism. Whatever you see fit ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5: School (part 3)

**Before I start, I would like to apologize for a seemingly short chapter, I honestly didn't notice. I would also like to mention that I have decided to make Kirino more Dere and less Tsun, because I think one of the main reasons for her behavior towards Kyousuke in the original story, was because he neglected her as a sister during their childhood. And since that is no longer a factor, it's only natural her interaction with Kyousuke would differ. Also, thanks to an anonymous guest, I have been told that Kun is for guys only and Chan is for women, is this actually right? If it is, please say so. Anyways, enough of my babble enjoy.**

There's nothing intriguing or interesting enough to talk about, when it comes to the other hours attended before lunch...

**(12:00pm, North High, School Halls)**

It was now time for lunch/resting period to begin. I went to my locker to grab my bento box (which, if I may add, had a delicious mixture of a six piece California roll, with a side of steak and fried rice.) Then went searching for Suzumiya-kun.

I asked various people where Suzumiya-kun was, not one single direct answer. The best I got were some perverted looks from the men and disgusted grunts from some of the women.

Deciding I would find some other time to talk to her, I went to my favorite place to eat in isolation, the roof.

And guess who I saw as I opened the door?

"Oi, Suzumiya-kun." I called out,

A melancholic Suzumiya-kun looked over to me, her expression changing from one of depression to one of surprise, then one of... bashful lust? Every step I took toward her, the feelings became more intense for me, as I was trying to think of the right words to start off a conversation

She then disregarded all of these, as she turned her head slightly in the other direction, her bangs covering her eyes.

"What do you want, baka?" she said lifelessly, as I came in close to the distance of arms reach.

I then kneeled on my hind legs next to the sitting Suzumiya-kun, putting down my bento next to her as I did so. I figured it would be best to start off with an apology to ease the mood.

"I'm sorry." I said as sincere as I possibly could, so I wouldn't hurt the already wounded, fragile, little Suzumiya-kun.

She then turned her head over to me, with a bit of a confused expression.

"Hah? What are you talking about?" She inquired.

"In 1st hour, about what my friend said."

Her baffled face changed to one of understanding and acceptance.

"It's okay, really. You have no control over what people say about others." She said, in just as sincere tone as mine.

"That's no excuse, no one should have to be that embarrassed in front of other people, and for that I'm sorry."

She then nodded at me with a light blush, as I gained a heating sensation as well.

I felt like I was falling into _that_ trance again, as I was caught in the miraculous, glistening shine of her beautiful blue eyes.

A few minutes passed before we both broke out of the hypnotism, both looking at the ground.

...

About a good ten to fifteen minutes passed (we were both done with our lunches and I had sat down beside Suzumiya-kun) before she asked a question.

"Why are you doing this for me, sitting here and talking to me?" She said softly.

"I feel as if I can relate to your thoughts and feelings easily, and if I can help you... that's what I want to do."

She then blushes and looks up at me with a face so soft and a voice so sweet.

"I'm glad you feel that way... because, you're helping me... A-A lot." She says, stuttering a little.

She then smiles at me, as I do the same to her. Then the bell rung out across the school

"Well, I guess we have to go." I said, as I got up to exit the roof and go back down to the 1st floor.

"Ko-Kousaka-san!" she called out as she hurried up to me

"What is it?" I asked in a confused tone

"A-Ari-Arigatou Gozaimasu." She thanked in a kind tone, as she bowed.

"Now, this is way different from this morning." I thought, surprised at her change of attitude

"It was no problem, I actually enjoyed talking to you, so don't worry about it." I said in a reassuring tone of voice, as I smiled at Suzumiya-kun

"I'm glad this wasn't troublesome!" The now overly ecstatic Suzumiya-kun cooed, as I opened the door for her and walked down the stairs back the first floor with her.

**You like it? If you have comments, questions, concerns, or feedback I would love to see it!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Sadistic Manami

**Hey guys, I've been abit busy, I'm sorry for the delay. I don't mean to sound rude, but I would like to continue using Suzumiya-kun for Kirino instead of Suzumiya-san. It just has a ring to me for some reason, don't worry this won't last much longer, as they will address each other differently soon enough…**

**(4 in the afternoon, North High School Yard, Front Gates)**

School was just now letting out, as I went to my locker to grab my personal belongings. After grabbing my things, I went out the front school doors and into the school yard. I was half-way towards the school gates when I noticed two familiar figures having a decent conversation. I couldn't quite see them at first so I stood still and focused on the two figures, my eyes gradually adjusting themselves to bring me a sight that took me by surprise.

Those two figures were Suzumiya-kun and Manami.

They must've felt like they were being watched, because they looked towards me. Once they noticed who I was, they waved me over to the gates with huge smiles on their faces.

Not wanting to keep them held up, I made a minor dash towards them.

"Whoa, how long have you two known each other?" I asked, panting a little bit

" I just met Suzumiya-Chan about five minutes ago!" Manami cooed with that infamous smile of hers.

"Wait, you know Kousaka-san?" Suzumiya-kun inquired

"I guess I should introduce both of you properly…" I said

"Suzumiya-kun, this is my childhood friend, Manami. We've known each other ever since we were toddlers."

"Manami, this is Suzumiya-kun, my… my... …. Kouhai ?" I said uncertainly

Suzumiya-kun then blushed and quickly looked down at the dirt, eyes darting around frantically.

"Hehehee… It looks like you two get along well~" Manami teased, putting her hand on her mouth

"WHA-!" me and Suzumiya-kun both exclaimed simultaneously, as we darted at our heads at her, faces flushed out.

"Hahaha!" Manami laughed "Ahh~…"

Suzumiya-kun, still as red as ever, shook hands with the sadistic Manami.

"My dad is going to worry about me if I don't get home soon. He doesn't let me stay out all that much. It was nice meeting you, Manami-chan!" Suzumiya-kun explained her rushed departure to my childhood friend, then approached me.

"Have a good day, Kyousuke." She said , then ran out the gates and down the street.

I watched her as she gracefully did so, purifying the earth with every stride. Suzumiya-kun really is something else.

"Wait ….. did she just use my first name?!" I thought bewildered

"I guess if that's the way she wants it, I'll address her the same way from now on." I thought, smiling.

I must've been stymieing out, because I noticed Manami waving her hand in front of my face all of a sudden.

"Woo-hoo, earth to Kyou-chaan~?" Manami said, in response to my catatonic behavior.

"Cut that out, will ya?" I said in a joking tone, as Manami and I headed out the gates.

…

The conversation we had on the way home was just as, if not more embarrassing than her teasing earlier…

**I'm sorry if this chapter seemed short, rusty, or subpar. I just wanted to get something out to the wonderful audience of mine ^_^. In this case, constructive criticism is more greatly appreciated more than anything right now. If you have comments or feedback as well, I always look forward to reading those too! Thank you all….. You are all awesome!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Walk Home

**Before we start off this chapter, I would like to thank those of you who have taken interest in this story. It makes me quite ecstatic when I can entertain someone else with the material I've produced. I would also like to say I'm sorry for the giant gap between this chapter and its predecessor, that was just laziness and procrastination on my part. I also need to thank Eliya Shirwood for, once again, dropping by and giving me the information I need to improve my writing. He's a great author, really, if you're into incest and love Oreimo I highly suggest you check out "Breaching the Brother and Sister Complex.", As well as "The Sibling Complication." With that out of the way, let us continue the major what if story.**

The atmosphere of my surroundings was blissful, I could see the trees over shadowing houses, I could feel the wind nipping at the back of my neck sending shivers of joy tingling down my spine, I could smell the heavenly scent of homemade curry being prepared for dinner along with the chime of joy from the children living there "itadakimasu!" …

"Hellooo, Kyou-chan~?" My childhood friend brought me out of the peace felt observation of my environment as I recognized I had accidentally tuned her out. I turned my head over to her to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Manami, I zoned out for a bit there." I uttered.

"Geez, that's the second time you left earth today! Do I need to jump in a rocket ship and bring you back down next time?!" She said jokingly, while being hysterical and flailing her arms about as she exclaimed. This got me laughing, so I decided to play along a bit.

"Sure, but be careful not to run into any martians on your way there, they might claim you as their queen!" I exaggerated.

"Hey! I'm not that short!" She complained with a pouty face.

"You're right, that was pretty childish of me, my bad." I apologized once again looking ahead, while walking down the seemingly endless sidewalk beside my childhood friend.

"It's ok, it was very humorous and brightened my day, so I'll excuse you this time. But…"

She stopped and turned her body in my direction, causing me to come to a halt. My childhood friend then looked up at me with an attempted "serious face".

"If you joke about me like that again I'll… I-I'll…

She tried to exclaim as her face became flushed and flustered. She then took a deep breath causing her to puff out her cheeks a little, I couldn't help but crack a grin at the sight.

"Be furious!" She squealed, letting out the breath she took in from her mouth.

I busted out into laughter, trying to contain myself just enough to where I wouldn't fall onto the ground.

"Wha- What's so funny?!" She stuttered out.

I then held my abdomen while bending down a little and putting my index finger up, I finally managed to stop after a few more seconds, so I bended back upwards while wiping the tears from eyes.

"It's jus- whew.. It's just that when you try to be serious, you get nervous and stutter on your words. It's too humorous to take seriously." I said while keeping back the remainder of my laughter.

"It's not my fault I can't be intimidating and mean." She mumbled with that pouting face of hers on again while averting her eyes from me and crossing her arms.

I put my right hand upon her hair and looked down to greet her eyes with mine.

"You don't need to be when you have a personality like your own." I said, reassuringly.

Shortly after I said that she put on that trademark smile of hers along with a little blush from what I assumed was happiness.

"Thank you very much, Kyou-chan." She uttered softly.

"No need, Manami." I said politely.

**(4:20 pm, The Tamura Residence.)**

As we came up to the entrance of Manami's house, the mentioned young woman stopped by the gates leading to the entrance and turned to me.

"Kyou-chan…" she sighed quietly, causing me to look down to her with a questioning expression, her looking up to me in the same sense of manner.

"What do you think of Kirino-chan?" She asked.

"As in?" I gently retorted.

Manami's small figure then started to shake a little, causing her to divert her eyes from my own.

"Wh-Who do you see her as?" She stuttered

When the purpose of the question hit me, it hit hard and fast, like a baseball hit by Ichiro Suzuki. Who _did _I see Kirino as? How do I describe the relationship we have together? The more I thought about those two questions, the more my mind started to hurt from the prolonged thinking and even more questions started forming in the midst of it all, causing nothing but a migraine and confusion.

I decided to give a neutral response.

"I'm not quite sure, I've only known her for a day, if you give me a few more weeks to a month, I wouldn't mind you giving me an evaluation then." I said as straight forward as I possibly could in order to avoid any further interrogation from my persistent childhood friend.

After a few seconds of comprehension from that smart mind of hers, feeling satisfied with my answer, she looked at the ground and did something that really caught me by surprise.

She stepped extremely close to me and slowly wrapped her arms around my torso and pulled me into a soft embrace, burying her head into my chest.

I produced a breathless gasp as she did so, getting a giggle in return from her.

"Are you ok, Manami?" I breathed, trying to keep my voice calm.

" I'm fine…I just wanted to tell you that… if you have any problems, Don't hesitate to rely on me." She informed with the most gentle voice I'd ever heard her speak in.

I then put my left arm around her neck area and my right hand around the back of her head and pulled her closer.

"You're such a great friend, Manami. You always worry about me and try to care for me whenever I need it, I can't thank you enough for that." I said softly, causing her to blush.

"You won't ever leave me, will you?" She asked in a voice with worry as she tightened her grip on me.

"Why would I? I've known you for nearly my whole life. There's no way in hell I'd ever do that to you. You're a part of my existence… You are my best friend…" I poured out.

I looked back down at her; she was blushing madly after I gave her my emotions.

She pulled away from me, gave her departure with a flushed smile, and then ran through her house gates as well as the door, yelling her goodbyes as she went.

"Have a good afternoon, Kyou-chan!"

I smiled as I headed in the direction towards my house.

**(4:50 pm, The roads of Chiba)**

As I walked home, my head was spinning with so many questions and inquiries.

I couldn't get the events that took place earlier out of my mind.

When I held Manami in my arms, I could feel a sense of desperation, worry and urgency . It was like her persona was trying to keep me away from something. Is that why she made me swear on a promise? Is she really that afraid of losing me? Why would she fear such unlikely happenings? It just didn't add up…

Perhaps she's afraid I'll end myself?

…

I stopped in my tracks, glancing down on the pavement along with a dark, lifeless void filling the pupil of my eyes.

It may be true that I'm never genuinely happy and depressed. But, I have no reason to commit to my self-assigned death sentence. Just because I feel worthless, doesn't mean I can just kick the bucket. I know people care about me and would be devastated if I were to depart. It's the reason why I try my best to fabricate happiness… It's also the only reason for me to keep living my life.

I looked up and stared at "Pink Gabriel" the sakura tree, only to hear my name being called out moments later…


End file.
